Emerald Skies
by HARTride2012
Summary: Joanna arrived in Detroit to take a much-needed vacation and spend time with old friends, only to have it cut short due to a cooperative operation between the city's police department and the CI. Things soon take a turn for the worst when the operation turns up the worst crime in the city's history. Chapter 3 is now up, and I changed the rating to "M" for future chapters.
1. Intro

Emerald Skies

Introduction

Disclaimer: I do not own Perfect Dark or any of the game's characters or entities. I have no affiliation whatsoever to the game's creators either. Additionally, denoted original characters are copyrighted and are not to be used in any other story for any reason. This story is purely a work of fiction, and any similarities to any real-life events (past, present, or future) are purely coincidental.

A/N:This story is loosely based on the events of Perfect Dark Zero, and the dataDyne storyline of Perfect Dark. However, this story has nothing to do with any media associated with the Perfect Dark series. This story has an M rating for violence and language in later chapters (it was originally a **T** rating).

Unknown Location – December 12, 2026 – 6:45pm.

Cassandra DeVries stood on an empty balcony, facing a darkening sky. She sighed as she watched the sun set in the west, leaving some clouds to follow. Cassandra hated the life that she had to live and heavily regretted many of her past actions...a countless list to be more specific. Most notably, she regretted ever getting with the Skedar; a move that ultimately placed dataDyne on the brink of collapse. She realized that though the deal with the Skedar was too good to reject, she failed to realize that the whole thing was booby trapped. Her greed overcame her conscience and landed her in a situation where her life was on the line.

After the collapse of dataDyne in 2024: Core Mantis-Omni Global took over all the company's assets and operations, making CMO the largest and only hypercorp left on the planet. Cassandra was especially disappointed at that outcome. All of her dreams, including what would have been the next version of , were shattered when the company fell from prominence. The once-competing SafeFlight technology was now being implemented worldwide and that alone, made Cassandra cringe.

The only reason that Cassandra was even alive was because she chose not to die in the Skedar campaigns. When the tall blonde man, the same Skedar in disguise that had deceived her, had given orders to take out the Carrington Institute, Cassandra knew that he would take her out of their picture as well. She constructed several clones of herself, hoping not to be found in the mix. Oddly enough, the aliens fell for clone #193034 and took it onboard their ship. Cassandra could only imagine what could have happened on the craft during that fateful evening back in 2023.

Needless to say, Cassandra was relieved when she learned that the Skedar were taken out by the Maians...and Joanna Dark. However, she knew from that day on, her life would never be the same again. With the remembrance aside, Cassandra headed back into her secluded villa to get some needed rest.


	2. Chapter 1

Emerald Skies

Chapter One – A scuffle in Dearborn

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Perfect Dark or any of the game's characters or entities. I have no affiliation whatsoever to the game's creators either. Additionally, denoted () original characters are copyrighted and are not to be used in any other story for any reason. This story is purely a work of fiction, and any similarities to any real-life events (past, present, or future) are purely coincidental.

**A/N: **Okay, this is a short chapter. I apologize for that, but I don't have such a good storyline to start out with. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas that could improve the story. Before I go, I have a few characters of mine to introduce in this first chapter: Robert Rosemary is the chief of police in Detroit and has been credited with a sharp decline in crime during his first few months as chief. He got to know Jack Dark during his tenure as Detroit cop but never was able to establish a good friendship. Janet Medine is a hardworking teenager who knows not to get in trouble, both in school and out. She loves rock music and is a talented pianist. Janet was saved by Joanna during a siege in Colombia (where Janet had been on vacation with her family) and had been friends since. Her parents are Linda and Morgan Medine (who are introduced in the second chapter).

**Dearborn, Michigan, United States – December 12, 2026 – 6:55pm**

Meanwhile, Joanna Dark walked through the streets of Dearborn, Michigan. It was the first time in a few years that Joanna had stepped into the Detroit area; where her father, Jack Dark, served proudly as a police officer. Though she tried not to think about Jack's death, she did think about the good things he did during his time of service. Most notably, Jack contributed to the decline of crime throughout the area. In addition, the continuing efforts of now police chief Robert Rosemary, kept crime levels down.

Regardless, Joanna made sure she didn't miss a beat when she sensed that something was wrong just down the street. One of her teenage friends, Janet Medine, was getting into a scuffle with another teen. Nevermind the fact that Janet had grown into a responsible and caring adolescent; Joanna knew she was in trouble. As the other teen, a 6'4" white male with a tattoo on his right arm, pushed Janet, a 5'5" black female with a combination of naturally black and colored blonde hair, into the fence; Joanna ran down the sidewalk, hoping to break up the situation.

"I don't think so man" Joanna yelled at the man. "Hey, who do you think you are bitch?" he replied. "Excuse me?" said Joanna, looking at the teen sternly, "I don't appreciate you causing trouble around here. And furthermore, I don't appreciate you harassing my friend like that." The man refused to back down and became defensive, "I'll beat your ass if you don't watch out bitch." Joanna stood her ground, "And I have connections to the police. So if I were you, I'd leave before I summon them on you." Without another word, the man became scared and ran away. He obviously did not want to get arrested, but Joanna knew that he would be back again sooner or later.

After a deep breath or two, Janet looked at Joanna, "Jo...I...I want to thank you for doing that. You saved my life...again." Jo hugged Janet and said, "I never give up on my friends." "He tried to steal my purse" said Janet, barely holding onto her brown purse. "I see" said Joanna, letting go of the girl and looking at the broken strap of the bag. "I have a feeling he wanted to do more. Come on, let's get you home before it gets dark. I'm sure your parents are worried sick." And with that, the two walked into the sunset.

Please feel free to review and submit any ideas that you may have for the story. I hope to continue this once I revise chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 2

Emerald Skies

Chapter Two – Dinner and Depression

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Perfect Dark or any of the game's characters or entities. I have no affiliation whatsoever to the game's creators either. Additionally, denoted (*) original characters are copyrighted and are not to be used in any other story for any reason. This story is purely a work of fiction, and any similarities to any real-life events (past, present, or future) are purely coincidental.

**A/N:**I sincerely apologize for the lengthy delays. I have been extremely busy these past several months and am just realizing that I need to get this story moving again. In this chapter, we meet Janet Medine's parents; Linda and Morgan. Linda is a retired nurse who spends most of her time at home. Morgan is a well-respected detective who got to work with Jack Dark on several cases. Also introduced in this chapter is Lancelot Rosemary, the only son of Detroit Police Chief Robert Rosemary. He currently lives with the Medine family, although he is planning on moving to Paris within the next few months. Lance has been enduring a barrage of personal issues, including tensions between him and his father.

**Dearborn, Michigan, United States – December 12, 2026 – 7:20pm**

As the sun was beginning to set on Dearborn, Joanna and Janet were approaching the Medine House, a lively two-story brick-façade home that sat beside an expansive park. The park once was home to one of the worst apartment complexes in the entire city, riddled with crime and graffiti. When Robert Rosemary took over as police chief five years ago, he vowed to have the complex torn down, which eventually happened. As the two arrived at the Medine House, Morgan Medine was waiting on the front porch for his daughter to arrive. When Morgan spotted Joanna by her side, his eyes began to tear up.

"Joanna Dark…is that you?" the older man gasped as he slowly came to his senses. "Yes Morgan" replied Jo, "It's me!" The two quickly exchanged hugs before embracing Janet. "I hope she didn't get into any trouble" asked Morgan, becoming concerned. Janet nodded, "Jo saved me Dad. Some moron tried to steal my purse". As Janet handed her father the broken purse, Linda stepped out to the porch. "Joanna!" she exclaimed, embracing Jo, "Great to see you! How are you?" Stepping away for a moment, Jo replied "I'm fine. Some idiot was trying to pester Janet, but I gave him a good scare. I don't think he'll be coming back to these parts". Linda nodded, "I'm so glad that you kept my Janet safe Jo. I can't thank you enough!" The two exchanged hugs again before going inside the house.

Morgan and Linda invited Jo to have dinner with them and Jo happily accepted, knowing that the Medine family made the best soul food in all of Dearborn. "For tonight's dish" said Morgan, "good ol' barbeque chicken with French fries and black beans! Dig in!" Without hesitation, Janet began to eat in rapid fashion. "Now slow down honey" said Linda, "I don't want you to choke". Janet briefly stopped, holding a piece of chicken, "Sorry mom. I'm just so hungry". Linda smiled and said, "I understand Janet. It's been a long day. Just slow down a bit please". Janet nodded and resumed eating, but at a somewhat slower pace. "So what brings you back to Detroit Joanna?" asked Morgan. "I need a vacation Morgan" replied Jo, "But Detroit was calling me home. There's some people that I haven't seen in a while…like you guys!" Linda smiled and said, "That's so great to hear Joanna! We're glad that you could stop in! As always, our home is your home!" Jo smiled, knowing that she was always welcome into the Medine House, "Awe! Thank you so much! I'm always very happy to be able to spend time with you all!"

As the four continued eating, they heard a noise that sounded like the banging of a trash can. Linda stood up for a moment to see what it was. "That might be Lance" she said, noticing a figure approach the front door. Joanna become perplexed, "You mean…Lance Rosemary?" Morgan nodded, "Yes Jo. He's been staying with us during the past few weeks. His father kicked him out after some argument. I don't know what it was about though. He won't talk about it. In fact, he refuses to talk about anything regarding his father. When something is mentioned about Robert, Lance will go into a boiling rage". Linda nodded in agreement, "Things have been so dire between them Joanna. I haven't got the slightest clue as to why they've become so distant, or why he's been getting so upset. I fear that he's going to start hurting people if this doesn't stop". Jo became even more confused about the situation. This was not the Lance Rosemary that she knew from years past. In fact, she was now fearing that he could jump ship from the police department and become some sort of criminal mastermind. She knew that she had to get to the bottom of this…and fast.

As the door was being unlocked, the three sat back down. Lance walked through the doorway and greeted everyone. When he recognized Joanna, he was quite surprised. "Jo? Is that…" Joanna stood up, "Yes Lance. It's me". The two quickly embraced, "What made you come back to Detroit?" Jo smiled and said, "People like you. I haven't seen you all in a long time, so I came back to visit. Sorry if things were a bit unannounced. I was taking a walk and Janet almost got attacked". Lance took a step back and looked at Janet, "Attacked? Janet…what happened?" Janet looked at Lance and replied, "Some moron tried to steal my purse. We almost had a fight when Jo came to the rescue". Lance nodded, "Wow! I'm so glad that Jo was at the right place at the right time!" Morgan nodded, "Yes it was Lance! I could not believe my eyes when I saw Jo! Lord knows what could have happened if she was not there". Lance nodded and proceeded to sit down for dinner.

The five conversed for what seemed like forever, discussing Joanna's many happenings along the way. Jo always made sure however, that she did not discuss too much about what was going on at the Carrington Institute. Jo always referred to her job as simply "working for the government". The conversation was going quite well for the time being, as Joanna shared her achievements of being "Agent of the Year", which she referred to the Medines as "Departmental Employee of the Year". In fact, Jo had earned the accolade two years in a row, which made Lance cringe. He tried not to think too much of the fact that he never received the "Officer of the Year" award at the police department, but this conversation was clearly nagging him. When Jo noticed Lance's startled look, she became concerned. "Lance" she asked, "are you ok?" Lance shook his head and stood up, "I'm sorry. I need to go upstairs". Without another word, Lance proceeded to his room upstairs. Jo thought to herself for a moment, "was it something I said?" She then looked at Morgan and Linda, "I really don't think it had anything to do with you Jo" said Linda, "He' just stressed. A lot has been going on as of late. Perhaps you can speak with him later. He may listen to you". Jo agreed and said, "I'll see what I can do". Afterward, the four finished eating and Jo helped Linda with cleaning up the table and dishes.

**A/N: **I hope to be able to have Chapter 3 up soon. In the meantime, I'm thinking of changing the storyline a bit later on to make things more dramatic. I've been able to gain some inspiration for the storyline change from the game "Condemned: Criminal Origins". I don't wish to spoil the plot, but I will say that Jo's vacation will definitely be cut short.


	4. Chapter 3

Emerald Skies

Chapter Three – One-on-one with Lance

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Perfect Dark or any of the game's characters or entities. I have no affiliation whatsoever to the game's creators either. Additionally, denoted (*) original characters are copyrighted and are not to be used in any other story for any reason. This story is purely a work of fiction, and any similarities to any real-life events (past, present, or future) are purely coincidental.

**A/N:**In the second chapter, Lance Rosemary joined in on the dinner conversation with Jo and the Medine family, but is left wondering about his own future after Jo mentioned her awards from work. After dinner, he has an intimate conversation with Jo about his life thus far. **Please note that there is quite a bit of language in this chapter. This was one of the things that prompted me to increase the rating from "T" to "M".**

**Dearborn, Michigan, United States – December 12, 2026 – 8:00pm**

As Jo finished helping Linda with the dishes, she felt more at home that she had ever been in a long time. Although there were many things that she disliked about Detroit, she knew that as long as the Medine family was around, she would always have something positive to look forward to. However, Jo was also baffled about Lance's earlier reaction and felt that she needed to have a one-on-one conversation with him. Linda agreed that having a face-to-face conversation would be able to open up some information as to why he had been acting so awkward as of late. "Before you talk to Lance" said Linda, "There's something I need to tell you." Jo looked and Linda and replied, "What seems to be the matter?" Linda replied, "I know I didn't mention this earlier, and for good reason. But ever since Lance and Robert got into their argument and all, I've noticed Lance smoking a lot of cigarettes." Jo became stunned, never thinking that Lance would smoke, "When did he start?" Linda sighed, "Maybe about two days after he was kicked out of his dad's house, I noticed that he would light up a cigarette every time he went outside. I don't allow him to smoke inside the house because of Janet, but he'd be going through at least one pack a week." Jo sighed, "I'll see what I can do on that. I definitely don't want to make things worse, but…he's got to do something". Linda nodded, "Definitely Joanna."

Meanwhile, Lance laid in his bed, thinking about what Jo had mentioned earlier about her awards. He was still dressed in full police uniform and had only removed his utility belt. He felt too disgusted to undress otherwise. Although Lance was proud of his tenure with the Detroit Police Department, he heavily despised his father and saw him as a manipulative figure who only used his position to gain fame throughout the city. Because of the flimsy façade that existed between them, Lance had been contemplating leaving the US altogether and start a new life in Paris. He had always been fascinated with the City of Lights and always dreamed that he would wind up there someday.

"DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR" Lance muttered to himself, "POPPA BEAR NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED PRESENTING THAT FUCKING AWARD TO ME! NOT EVEN WHEN I BUSTED MY FUCKING ASS TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR THE DEPARTMENT...ALL I GOT WAS FUCKING HUMILATION! I'VE FUCKING HAD IT WITH THIS CITY!" Before Lance could spit out another word, he heard a knock on his door. "Lance" said Joanna, "May I come in?" Letting out a deep sigh, he responded to his friend, "Come in."

Jo looked at Lance as she slowly closed the door behind her. "You don't look so good Lance" said the redhead, walking towards him. "I'm fine" said Lance, trying to shrug off his worries. "No Lance" replied Jo, "You're not fine. Please…tell me what's going on. You know you can tell me anything." Lance let out a deep sigh again. His face was dripping with sweat. "Maybe you should get yourself out of that police uniform and take a hot bath. I think that's the first step to clearing your mind." Becoming bitter towards Jo's response, he lashed back, "DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO FUCKING DO!" Jo was quickly appalled, "Look Lance, things don't have to be this way. I know what's going on with your father."

Lance threw off his police hat in angst, "REALLY? LIKE WHAT? THAT HE'S BEING A FUCKING ASS TOWARDS ME?!" Jo shook her head, "Lance…please…calm down! I just…" Lance quickly cut her off, "CALM DOWN!? ME? CALM DOWN!?" Jo tried to interrupt, "Lance…please…just…" Lance ignored her pleas and swiftly undid his belt, throwing it onto the floor. "MY DAD HAS BEEN MORE THAN JUST AN ASS! HE'S A FUCKING BILIGERANT, LYING, STEALING, HEAD-UP-HIS-ASS, HOMOPHOBE! HE HAS NO RESPECT FOR ANYONE WHO IS'NT ON THE SAME PAGE AS HE IS!" Jo became shocked by the words that Lance just uttered, "What do you mean Lance? Please…just tell me what's going on!"

Lance let out a deep sigh, "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? OK…I'LL TELL YOU. MY DAD HAS BEEN USING HIS POSITION AS POLICE CHIEF TO MANIPULATE EVERYONE IN THIS DAMN CITY! HE WANTS TO PORTAY TO EVERYONE THAT HE'S THE CITY'S SAVING GRACE! THAT HE'S WIPING OUT ALL THE CRIME WITH AN IRON FIST! YET, NO ONE IN THE DEPARTMENT WILL REALIZE HOW MUCH OF A FUCKING SCUMBAG HE REALLY IS! I BUSTED MY ASS DOING WHAT I DO EACH DAY AND WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR THE DEPARTMENT. BUT GUESS WHAT? I GOT NO FUCKING RECOGNITION FOR MY EFFORTS! IN FACT, THERE WAS ONE CASE I WORKED ON, WHERE MISTER HOTSHOT FUCKING THREATENED TO DEMOTE ME!" Jo quickly interrupted, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop right there Lance! Calm down! What is it that you're speaking of where your father threatened to demote you?"

Lance took a deep sigh, "Two years ago, I assisted in a murder case where an elderly lady was stabbed several times by some crazy maniac at one of the nearby apartment complexes. I found some evidence that clearly linked the suspect to the murder. But instead of being praised for my duties, my father lashed back at me saying that I obstructed evidence. Some fucking bullshit rambling…I couldn't even understand what he said. And then, the fucker threatened to demote me if I did it again. Whatever 'IT' was…I have no clue at all. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it". Jo shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe that your father would do such things to you." Lance nodded, "And it gets worse. Two weeks later, the fucker had the nerve to go around the department and tell everyone that I love to hit on all the young male police officers on the force."

Still shocked at the revelations, Jo responded by saying, "Your father basically outed you in front of the whole department?" Lance nodded, "YES! YES! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THAT MOTHERFUCKER DID! I WASN'T READY TO COME OUT TO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES! BUT YET, HE DID IT TO TRY AND TARNISH MY REPUTATION!" Jo once again tried to calm Lance down, but her efforts did nothing at the moment. She shook her head in frustration, not knowing what else to do.

Lance grabbed the front of his dark uniform pants and literally tore them off his body, "HE'S A FUCKING MONSTER! HE DOESN'T FUCKING CARE ABOUT ME, OR WHAT I DO, OR WHAT I FEEL!" Jo shook her head in frustration again, "What in hell is tearing your uniform apart going to do? You're just wasting your paycheck if you're going to do that!" Lance sighed, beginning to realize that he had to calm down. After a few minutes of calm, Lance responded, "I was trying to make a point Joanna. I'm sorry I've been acting this way". Lance bent down to grab his tattered uniform pants. "I so fucked these up" he muttered to himself, throwing the pants into a nearby trash can. "You're right Joanna. Ripping these clothes apart is only dissolving my paycheck. It's just that I've been so pissed off as of late". "It's going to be okay Lance" said Jo, "Let's sit down and take a breather. Then I'll ask you some questions. Okay?" Lance nodded and took a deep breath, "Okay."

Joanna then took a moment to sit Lance down on his bed. She wanted to first reassure him that no matter what his father said, Lance would continue to be…Lance. "Lance, I want you to understand, no matter what your father says…you're always going to be Lance. Nothing can change who you are". Lance smiled at Jo and gave her a huge hug, "Jo, you're right. I shouldn't let this bother me so much. My dad can't change me, no one can. I just have to stand up and be myself for once". Jo smiled back in encouragement, knowing that she had calmed Lance down enough to be able make him realize what lies in front of him.

After a few more minutes, Jo steered the conversation back to the situation at the police department. Lance was clearly calmer in his responses, and Jo liked that. She knew that she would be able to get the honest truth from people when they remained in a calm demeanor. "Did anyone on the team know about your personal matters before this happened?" asked Jo. Lance shook his head, "Only a few knew: Corey LaRue, Angela Montalvo, and Jeremy Davis. Because I felt the closest to them, and have been good friends with them for many years, I knew that I could trust them. They don't believe anything that my father has said and can back me up if things really get out of line." Jo nodded, "I remember Officer LaRue. He once told me that if tyranny were to ever grapple the upper echelon of the department, that everything in the city would begin to crumble all over again. I agreed with LaRue. I still remember the whole mayoral scandal from several years back. Things were never the same since, but LaRue had confidence that something to that scale would never occur within the department. I guess we were both wrong."

The two embraced each other once more. "Jo" said Lance, "Please promise that you won't tell anyone else about what I just said to you. Not even LaRue." Jo shook her head, "This is only between you and me Lance. I don't wish to get myself between you and your father. But you need to realize that what you're doing right now isn't helping. It's making things much worse." Lance shook his head in agreement, "You're right. I've been making things worse for myself. I just don't know what else to do." Jo gave Lance another hug, "We'll work it through Lance. We'll work it through."


End file.
